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Longford County Council shares ambitious plans for Connolly Barracks at EU meeting

By Tara King, Longford Leader

The event took place at the European Urban Initiative in Monaghan recently

A recent meeting of the European Urban Initiative (EUI) in Monaghan heard from Longford County Council's regeneration team on the subject of sustainable heritage and adaptive reuse, both of which were key to delivering Connolly Barracks Reimagined.

The event - which was attended by over 120 local authority staff from Ireland’s 31 local authorities - featured keynote speeches, panel discussions, hands-on workshops, site visits, and networking, with participants including planners, architects, and heritage officers.

Longford County Council regeneration team shared with attendees their best practices on the implementation of the Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme (THRIVE), with a focus on integrating European and national approaches to preserving Ireland’s built heritage.

The team also shared the how their ambitious project will transform the former army barracks into a county museum, community café, makerspace and podcast studio, meeting and music rooms, and conference and training facilities.

With energy upgrades, solar panels, accessibility improvements, and restoration of historic fabric, the event heard how Connolly Barracks will become a beacon of culture, creativity, and community within Longford town.